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One more thing to consider - make sure you understand how receiving unemployment benefits (if you become eligible later) might affect your immigration status. Some visa categories have restrictions on receiving public benefits.
If you do end up needing to contact Washington ESD later, that Claimyr thing people mentioned actually worked for me too. I was skeptical at first but it beats sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
I think the confusion about benefit duration comes from people mixing up the benefit year (52 weeks) with the maximum weeks of benefits (26). Your benefit year is how long your claim stays active, but you can only collect benefits for up to 26 of those weeks.
The whole washington esd system seems designed to be confusing sometimes. At least the online account makes it easier to track your remaining benefits than it used to be with the old system.
Still can be frustrating when you need to talk to an actual person though. That's when services like Claimyr really come in handy for getting through the phone maze.
One more thing to consider - if your former employer contests your unemployment claim, be prepared to provide your side of the story. Washington ESD will interview both you and your employer during the fact-finding process.
Just to close this out - I went through the exact same thing 2 years ago and got approved for benefits even though I was fired. The key was showing that the firing wasn't for willful misconduct. Sounds like you have a good case with the safety reporting angle.
I've been working part-time for 3 months while on unemployment and it's been working out well. Just make sure you keep good records of your hours and earnings in case Washington ESD ever asks for documentation.
Caleb Bell
For anyone still having trouble getting through to Washington ESD about their partial benefits questions, I had success using Claimyr recently. They got me connected to an agent who explained exactly how my partial benefit calculation worked. Worth checking out their demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ if you're stuck.
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Diego Castillo
•Several people have mentioned Claimyr now. Sounds like it might be worth trying if I run into issues with my claim.
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Caleb Bell
•Yeah, I was skeptical at first but it really did save me hours of calling and getting nowhere. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to get clear answers.
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Danielle Campbell
Update on my situation - I applied for partial benefits three days ago and already got my determination letter! It was approved and I'll be getting about $180 per week to supplement my reduced hours. The process was much smoother than I expected.
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Diego Castillo
•That's great news! Gives me hope that my application will go smoothly too. Did you need to provide any special documentation for your part-time situation?
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Danielle Campbell
•Just my regular pay stubs and the standard application information. I think it helped that my employer had already reported my reduced hours to Washington ESD through their system.
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